12

Host: Meier-beck AGTarget not accessible

Marmi is hardly known for his love of confectionery, more for his nibbling on nuts and greens. So because he loves nut pie, he heads off to Graubünden.

In Val Müstair, Marmi goes looking for walnut trees. The nuts have to come from somewhere, don’t they? His search takes him to the center of Sta. Maria. More than 300 people live here, most of whom speak Romansh. Marmi doesn’t understand a word. But he recognizes that sweet nutty aroma straight away.

As is often the case with the culinary arts, the origins of the Graubünden nut pie recipe are not entirely clear. One thing’s for sure: there are not enough walnut trees growing in Graubünden, and most walnuts are imported. And people from Graubünden living south of its border made the first nut pies in the 19th century.

Nuts, along with caramel made of sugar and water, are key ingredients of Engadin nut pie. For the flat short bread, you also need butter, icing sugar, salt, eggs, flour, walnuts (kernels), cane sugar, cream, milk and honey. The original recipe is said to be secret, originating in Italy or France, but that might just be clever marketing.

Be that as it may, the nut pie is Graubünden’s culinary top export. It is rich in energy and keeps for up to two months in the fridge. Because nuts from California are a blemish, so to speak, the canton’s own walnut production has been developing for several years. It wants to increase the proportion of regional walnuts in the nut pie. Over the next few years, the farms affiliated with the cooperative are looking to harvest up to 60 tonnes annually.

Marmi is delighted and wants his own walnut tree in front of his burrow, for making nut pie in his own marmot kitchen. Then fattening up for hibernation would no longer be a big challenge.